Their latest stunt, previewed earlier this week, involves actor and martial arts experts Jean-Claude Van Damme, well known for the butt-kicking he did on the big screen during the '80s and '90s. His signature move was the splits, which Volvo Trucks tapped into for this demonstration of how directionally stable its Volvo Dynamic Steering is.

The concept is simple: JCVD stands atop the side mirrors of two Volvo Trucks while they're moving backwards in parallel. The trucks begin to steer away from each other, thus resulting in the name of this spectacle: Epic Splits. The soundtrack is a nice touch, too. Scroll down to watch for yourself.

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Jean-Claude Van Damme and Volvo Trucks Perform World-First Stunt

[14-Nov-2013] As one of Hollywood's most famous action stars, Jean-Claude Van Damme has had to perform countless daring stunts, but in Volvo Trucks' latest film 'The Epic Split', he carries out one of his most spectacular yet.

Standing between two moving Volvo FM trucks with a foot on each side mirror, Jean-Claude Van Damme performs one of his world-famous splits as the two trucks drive in reverse. He calmly holds his position for the entire length of the drive.

The film aims to demonstrate the unique stability of Volvo Dynamic Steering.

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An excellent feat for any age, much less a 53 year old man. The drivers deserve credit too.
Sounds like tech that belongs in a truck, but I don't understand how it's that special. It doesn't appear to do anything that any vehicle (including the sedan sitting in my garage) with electric steering doesn't do.

This is an amazing stunt. Person below me said it best... To support your weight with 2 points of contact is simply amazing. I would love to see this air during prime time. And I actually loved how this was filmed. Enya in the background was perfect JCVD has amazing discipline and this just shows why he made the 80s and 90s awesome.

Doing a split on the floor, with your body weight taken of, is not exactly the manliest of awesome feats. But doing a split, with your full body weight held up by nothing but your feet, at just two points probably 6-7 feet apart - now, that\'s awesome!!! And beyond manly.

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Wow. What a team! JCVD splitting like that at his age! I couldn't do that when I was a teenager(although I could put my leg behind my head).
Also the drivers! Imagine a 1/2 foot wider or forward or backwards, JCVD will fall down and would get injured!
Just imagine in his shoes! Amazing!

Yes the truck was chosen for its ability to move away from the other truck. The entire point of this is not the steering away that has absolutely nothing to do with it. In reverse a driver is more likely to make a mistake correcting for bumps. If the driver does not input the wheel the truck should keep it self going in a straight direction and thats the point of the test.